Durham murder suspects brought from Baltimore to face charges

Two men who are charged with two murders near their Durham homes in December and January were brought back Thursday from Baltimore, Md., where U.S. Marshals arrested then Jan. 21.

Robert Bernard Jackson, 34, and Charles William Willis, 27, were being held without bail in the county jail.

The men both live on Ashe Street, and the killings were near their homes, police said.

Mohamed Thabet Shoufar, a 58-year-old employee at the Buy Quick convenience store at 419 South Briggs Ave. was shot in the store Dec. 19 and died at a hospital.

Nicholas Bell, 20, was found dead in the woods behind a home in the 2800 block of Ashe Street, just around the corner from the Buy Quick, on Jan. 3.

Police said they believed Jackson and Willis targeted the store for a robbery, and each is charged with armed robbery and conspiracy in that case.

Detectives had not disclosed whether they know of a motive in Bell’s slaying.

This story was originally published February 5, 2016 at 9:39 AM with the headline "Durham murder suspects brought from Baltimore to face charges."